Tower of God Impression - Moving Pictures

What is it you desire? Is it to have power, glory, or maybe it’s riches? Regardless of what it is, everything can be yours if you can reach the top of the tower. Though it might sound straightforward this is no ordinary tower. For within this tower lay great dangers, whole nations, immeasurable challenges, and where next to nothing is known about the world outside of the Tower. If that piques your interest that allows me to deliver upon you a short taste of Tower of God, the anime latest series to hit Crunchyroll as part of their Crunchyroll Originals label, who were kind enough to provide an early look at the first three episodes of this new show.

The series is an adaptation of the popular webtoon series of the same name written and drawn by Korean author SIU. The protagonist is a young man named Bam who doesn’t know much of the world or who he is. All he knows for sure is that his close friend, Rachel, is all that matters to him. When she leaves one day to climb the Tower with the wish of one day seeing the stars, Bam follows hoping to be reunited. From here, his journey to climb the Tower, find Rachel, and discover more about the world of the Tower begins and from the first episode alone, I’m hooked on this story.

The world of Tower of God is one of mystery for both Bam and the viewer. Being an irregular, an outsider if you will, Bam has no knowledge of anything going on around him. This means that as he learns more so too will the viewer, with this shared sense of wonder helping you to feel connected to Bam and his companions. There is no waiting around either with the story kicking off as soon as the first episode starts. By the end of the third you would've already seen plenty of action, had numerous story developments, and find yourself wanting more.

This engaging story has been brought to life by Telecom Animation Film - whose work includes the likes of Lupin III (2015) and All Out!! - with an art style that looks good both in motion and when static. There is a bit of a ‘rough’ or ‘unfinished’ look to everything that actually helps to give Tower of God a unique feel allowing it to be more expressive with its storytelling. There is plenty of detail to make the world and characters feel alive while also giving the team room to play when they want to make a joke. Throughout the first three episodes I found myself enjoying all the motion and not once seeing an awkward animation.

In the sound department, the audio and music including the opening and ending themes are superb with plenty of variety to match the mood. An interesting use of bass in high tension moments really gets the emotion across and you can’t help but lean forward to get closer to the action. The same praise can be given to the voice acting as well, with the Japanese cast delivering a fantastic performance.

It’s been a while since an anime series has captured my attention as much as Tower of God. Within the first 10 minutes I found myself entranced by the world, its characters, and the mystery of the Tower. The manga has been running for nearly 10 years and though the anime is only starting with 13 episodes, I’m excited to see where it goes. If you are looking for something new to watch that feels generally unique and special, then you can’t go wrong with giving Tower of God a go.